Keyed instrument of music



UNITED STATES PATENT OEErcE.

FRANCIS PEABODY, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

KEYED INSTRUMENT OF MUSIC.

.T0 all whom t may concern:

Beit known that l, FnANors PEABODY, of Salem, in the county of Essex andState of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Keyed Instruments of Music and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full and exact description of the same, which isprepared with a view to the obtaining of Letters Patent therefor.

The accompanying drawings form a portion of this specification.

Figure l is a plan view, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line SS in Fig. l.

Similer letters of reference indicate like parts in both the figures.

The tints are employed to aid in distinguishing parts. They do notindicate the materials of which the parts are composed.

My invention is applicable tov all kinds of instruments which operate bymeans ofkeys, andit consists in certain means whereby the instrument maybe made to execute tunes automatically without consuming but littlespace with the automatic mechanism, or but little time in changing theparts, so as to play any tune for which properly-arranged dents orpoints have been provided, without any limit to the number and varietyof tunes which an instrument of ordinary size and appearance may be madeto automatically perform, and without necessarily involving any seriouseX- pense in the construction of the instrument, the expense beingincurred, if preferred, in small increments, during the use oftheinstruments, by the purchase of dents suitably fixed to execute tunessingly or in small quantities, according to the ability or taste of thepurchaser, or according as new and desirable music shall be found toappear.

My invention further consists in certain means whereby the rate of speedat which automatic instrumental performances analogous to this shall beregulated. These means admit of a very ready and rapid adjustment, so asto vary the time of the music at will.

My invention does not interfere in the least with the use of theinstrument in the ordinary manner in playing' by the touch of theperformer. It even allows additional parts to be played by hand at thesame time that the priucipal parts are being performed automatically.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation by the aid of thedrawings, and of the letters of reference marked thereon.

A A, &c., are the keys adapted to be op eratcd by the lingers of aperformer, and connected in t-he ordinary manner to the works of theinstrument (not represented.) B B, &c., are trackers, and G C', Ste.,are levers adapted to depress the several corresponding keys, A A,through the medium of the corresponding trackers, B B. The centers ofthe motions of the several levers, C C', are indicated by c c,&c., andthe arrangement is such that an elevation of the back end of either ofthe levers C C induces a depression of the corresponding key at thefront of the instrument, and of course a corresponding emission of soundfrom the instrument; but so long as these levers C C are not operated,the keys may remain atrest, or may be operated by hand, according to thewill of the operator. A stout circular plate, D, fixed in a horizontalplane on the top of the vertical shaft D, is adapted to receive a slowrotating motion from the pinion or small bevel gear-\vheel E, which isfixed on the shaft e, and receives motion through the aid of thewindlass E from a cord and weight orother suitable means ofcommunicatingpower. (Not represented.) The upper face of the horizontalplate Dis perfectly plane, excepting near its center, and receives andcarries around in its slow rotation a plate, G, of metal, wood, or anyother suitable material, which performs the function of operating thelevers C C by means of cams, pins, or dents xed in its upper surface, inconcentric circles, as indicated by I and J. Instead of cams, pins, ordents, holes may be pierced in the plate G, and by exchanging the leversC C', substituting therefor compound levers properly mounted, the holeswill allow the levers to move and cause the keys to operate as the plateG rotates. In such case I arrange the holes in concentric circles, in amanner Similar to the dents represented, so that the holes serve asequivalents for the dents. I use the dents in preference to the holes.This plate G forms a very important feature of my invention and is theonly portion that is changed in adapting any given instrument to performan indefinite number of pieces of music. I have, from motives ofeconomy, constructed this plate G of wood,

touching by hand, may be considered completely adapted to perform agiven tune onV any properly-adapted instrument, and I propose that suchplates shall be carefully and rapidly prepared by the aid ofelaboratenma-d chinery for cutting and nishing delicately if necessary,an d that such shall be kept for sale by music dealers in the samemanner as sheets ot music are kept and sold, thus establishing a newbranch ot` manufacture and commerce. rlhe form ot' the plate allows agreat number to be stored in a little space, and they may be veryreadily packed and transported. These holes gg g are bored in the plateD at the points indicated, and corresponding pins or projections areformed on the under face of the plate G, which it therein and compel thetwo to rotate together. It is evident that it is practicable and may, onsome accounts, be preferable, to make the projections ou D and therecesses on the under side of G, in order that a lot of plates, G, maybe better packed together; butl do not con tine myself to either ot'these specitic arrangements, `the purpose being simplyto compel one torotate with the other so long as they are in contact, and allow ot' aready separation and reunion at will. A button, H, adapted to turn onthe central post, h, serves to secure and release G by a very simpleoperation, the plate being provided with a large hole in its center of aproper form to allow of its slipping over the button H when in oneposition relatively thereto, and of being very rmly retained therebywhen the button is afterward turned partly around on its post h.

I divide the levers C C into two sets in the manner represented.

The concentric circles I (denoted in black lines) indicate the lines onwhich those dents must be fixed which are to operate the baser keysthrough the medium ot' one set ot' the levers, C, and the concentriccircles J (denoted in red lines) indicate the lines on which those dentsmust be tixed which are to operate the higher keys through the mediumot' the other set ot' levers, (1. This division is important to beunderstood by the parties who lay out and prepare the mechanism, andwill be readily understood by artistsof proper skill. It affords greatadvantages in the room which it makes available both in the arrangementof the levers C C and the dents I J, but, except incase of an occasionalrepair or readjustment ot some part, it is not necessary that theoperator shall understand either this or the other nice points about themechanism, it being only necessary to the successful use ot my inventionthat the operator possess sufficient mechanical skill to simply removeand substitute a plate, G,whcn a new one is supplied him, and to wind upor otherwise prepare and set in operation the mechanism which impels therotation of the plate D. The levers() C', it will be observed, are hungon the movable frame M, which is arranged to turn on the hinges m m, sothat the obstructing parts may be readily elevatedv out of the way whenever it is desired to remove or introduce the plate G. The additionalmechanism represented contributes to control the rate of speed at whichthe plate is allowed to work. The shatt e carries a large wheel, E2,with skewed teeth. A crossshaft, K, lying directly below this, carries aworm or screw having a very great pitch or angle in the position of itsthreads relatively to its axis, and adapted to be acted on by theskewed'teeth ot' the wheel E2, so as to compel a quick motion in theshaft K, the same being received from the slow motion ot' E2 in ama-nnerwhich (though not often employed, on account of the friction it induces)will be readily understood by mechanics. The wheel K2 on the part of kopposite to the upright shaft L communicates a quick motion to thelatter by means of similar skewed teeth on K2 and a similar quick turnon the shaft L, so that the result is a rotatory motion of the uprightshaft L,which is actuated by the same original agent as the plate G, butis many hundred or thousand fold quicker in its rate of revolution. "lheupper end of the shaft L is hollow and carries one set of tiXed andanother movable rings adapted to resist the revolution of the same atateo high velocity by reason of the action of the air. rlhe tixed wingsor surfaces are denoted by l l. The movable wings are denoted by N andN. They are formed and arranged as represented on the centers n n', sothat they serve practically to extend the area of the surfaces i l to agreater or less extent, according as they are elevated and extended ordepressed and contracted. A double rack is formed on a sliding' piece,I), mounted within the hollow shaft L, and this meshes intocorresponding gearing on the hubs or centers of the movable wings N N',so that by elevating and depressing I? the wings are simultaneouslyturned on their respective centers n n( and extended or contracted, soas to cause the resistance offered by the air to the rotation of L to beincreased or diminished, and consequently to compel the entire mechanismto be correspondingly restrained or released from restraint. Elevatingthe rod P contracts the wingsN N and allows the music to be performedquicker, while a lowering otP extends the wings N N and by acting onmore air and striking it at a higher velocity by the larger circle inwhich the wings travel, it creates a greater resistance to themotion andcompels the mechanism to turn more slowly, and consequently, insures aslower performance ofthe music. I tind that the motion can be controlledvery satisfactorily and noiselessly by this means, and propose toconnect a suitable stop or other device to the rod P, so that it can becontrolled by the hand of the attendant or operator while a piece ofmusic is being performed, thus allowing the time of certain parts to bevaried at will, in order to give expression to words accompanying theperformance, or to humor any whim and accommodate the taste of theperformer.

The form of the mechanism which controls and adjusts the position of thewings may be varied at pleasure. I have represented simply a set-screwfor holding the parts in the position desired 5 but this may be replacedby other devices or dispensed with altogether and friction alone reliedon if any extensive connection of parts is employed. So also the skewedteeth and worms employed to communicate motion between c and L may bereplaced by more ordinary gearing or other wellknown means of conveyingpower so long` as it is conveyed so that the speed is greatly increased.

Some of the advantages due to seperate features of my invention may beseparately enumerated, as follows First, by my employment of the planeor slightly conical or dishing plate G, arranged to be readily mountedon and removed from the plate D by the raising of the frame M and theparts mounted thereon, and adapted to be stored and transported withconvenience, I am able to adapt not only church-organs, butparlor-instrumen ts, and the great majority, if not the whole, of thepopular keyed instruments now in use, to the automatic performance ofany music desired, to inaugurate a new branch of trade in supplying theconcentrically, arranged dents to facilitate the learning of musicalperformance on keyed instruments by causing the learner to follow withvhis fingers the automatic depressions of the keys, and to facilitatethe performance by a single skilled performer (adding the action of hishands to that of the automatic parts) of a before-impracticable numberof parts on a common construction and style of instrument 5 second, bymy division of the levers C C into two series, arranged as represented,centering each on the center c, so that the lines of the back ends ofthe several levers stand in the positions represented, andcorrespondingly arranging the several dents-that is to say, placing thedent to operate a given base-key not on the same side of the center ofthe plate G, as a dent to operate a given note and produce the chorddesired, but on a part of the plate widely separated therefrom-I am ableto render available more space for the levers C G, so as to mount theircenters and their back ends much wider apart than would be allowablewere all the levers to stand with their back ends in a single series onone side of the center of the plate G, and am able, in fact, to avoidmost of the crowding of the dents, which would otherwise be experiencedin making very full chords and quick passages, and can use much smallerplates G, and consequently can arrange the entire apparatus, so as tooccupy less space, whether in or out of the instrument, third, by myemployment in connection with an automatic mechanism, substantially asdescribed, of the hollow shaft L, adjustable wings NN', andadjusting-rod I), arranged as described, I am able to control the timeof the music cheaply and without noise and in a manner which allows ofready variation by suitable connections while the music is beingperformed.

Having new fully described my invention, what I claim as new therein,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows l. In keyedinstruments, the use of concentric series of dents I J, or theirequivalents, mounted on removable plates G, and arranged relatively to aremovable series of levers, U, so as to operate therewith in the mannersubstantially as herein setforth.

2. Ihe division ofthe levers into two independent sets, G C', operatedon opposite or nearly opposite paris of the plate G, substantially asand for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The speed-regulator composed of the hollow shaft L, changeable wingsN N', and adjusting-rod I), arranged to operate in connection with eachother and with the automatic works of a keyed instrument, substantiallyas and for the purpose herein set forth.

FRANCIS PEABODY.

Witnesses:

STEPHEN P. WEBB, Unas. E. SvMoNDs.

